"Qing! Qing, where are you!"
Su Shui sprinted aimlessly through the amusement park, searching desperately for Su Qing.
Sweat glued his hair together, his bangs plastered damply to his forehead.
"Excuse me, have you seen a girl? Short hair, about shoulder-height to me, slim and pretty~" Su Shui asked a boy carrying a massive backpack.
"Oh, I saw her," the boy pointed into the distance. "Over there at the small square~"
"Oh, thanks!" Su Shui took off running.
"Bro, wait up! Let’s go together~" The guy appeared beside him instantly, huge backpack and all.
Panting heavily, Su Shui reached the square to find a thick crowd gathered.
A large group surrounded something, murmuring curiously.
"That silly girl hasn’t done something stupid, has she?"
Fear gripping him, Su Shui shoved through the onlookers, forcing his way inside.
The backpack guy followed his path through the crowd.
"Make way! That’s my sister!" Su Shui shouted, pushing aside anyone blocking him.
"Almost there!" he gritted mentally. "I’ll find Qing any second!"
After immense effort, Su Shui squeezed to the front. The backpack guy trailed behind.
"Qing, I—" Su Shui looked up to find not his sister, but a short-haired girl cosplaying as Rem.
She matched his description perfectly: short hair, slim, shoulder-height, and pretty.
But this couldn’t be his sister—his sister didn’t have such generous curves!
Though he hadn’t found Su Qing, Su Shui pulled out his phone to snap photos anyway. Boys will be boys!
Beside him, the backpack guy acted like Doraemon, pulling out cameras and lenses. Long and short gear covered the ground; click-click went the shutters.
"Bro, is that your sister? Need a brother-in-law?!"
"Sorry, she’s not my sister~"
Impressed, Su Shui copied him, lying on the ground to find angles.
"Bro, this angle’s awesome!" Su Shui exclaimed sincerely.
"Hey~" A tap on his shoulder. Su Shui shrugged without looking. "What? You’re blurring my photos~"
"Fine, stay here and take your photos!" That voice—it was Su Qing.
Su Shui scrambled up, but Su Qing stepped on his waist.
"Qing, don’t run!" Dusty and prone, he shouted after her.
Su Qing fled without a glance back, leaving only a fading silhouette.
Struggling upright, Su Shui tried to push out.
"Excuse me! That’s my sister!"
Escaping was harder than entering. The phone-wielding crowd pressed inward, sealing all gaps.
Facing the human wall, Su Shui gritted his teeth and braced.
"If you won’t move, don’t blame my Death Charge!" He bent low, then charged like a cannonball.
"Oof!" He bounced back as if hitting a spring.
The backpack guy still lay on the ground, snapping photos.
Spotting Su Shui beside him, he offered his camera. "Wanna try?"
Su Shui took it, tears in his eyes. "Bro, sorry!" He hurled the camera—it arced over the crowd.
"My god, what are you doing!" The guy sprang up, lunging like a starving tiger.
The human wall shattered instantly. Onlookers toppled like dominoes.
At the last second, he caught his camera. Su Shui slipped through the gap.
"Thanks, bro! I’ll treat you someday!"
"Get lost! Don’t let me see you again!"
……
Su Shui hadn’t chased far before losing Su Qing again.
"How does this girl have such stamina!" Panting by the roadside, he collapsed onto a bench.
An old man sat nearby, watching his grandson play kindly.
"Grandpa, did you see a short-haired girl pass by?"
"Yes, she went toward the flower bed. That little girl’s really pretty…"
"Thanks, grandpa!"
"Young man, I’ll go with you~" The old man took his grandson’s hand and followed shakily.
……
Su Shui saw aunties posing by the flower bed with scarves. His patience snapped.
"Grandpa, I meant my sister—not a little girl your age!"
"Well, kid? She’s nice, huh~" The old man patted his shoulder. "Get her number for me? I want… hehe."
Watching the suddenly shy grandpa, Su Shui wanted to bang his head on the flower bed.
"Go on!" The old man urged. Su Shui walked expressionlessly toward the aunties.
"Auntie, hello, I’m here to—"
"Young man, you’re blocking my shot!" an auntie shrieked.
"Sorry, sorry~" Su Shui stepped aside.
"Auntie, move a bit right~" A familiar voice. Su Shui looked up—Su Qing was taking photos.
"Qing!" He slipped to her side and grabbed her sleeve.
"What? Let go!"
Su Qing shook him off. He grabbed again. She shook harder. He grabbed tighter.
Seeing him cling like a leech, Su Qing snapped.
"Why look for me? You don’t want me anymore!" She shouted, pounding his chest.
"How could I not want you?" Su Shui pulled her gently into a hug.
"Don’t touch me!" She struggled to break free.
"No way!" He held her tight. "You’re my sister!"
"You’ve always said that!" Su Qing shoved him away hard. "I’m not your sister!"
……
……
……
……
……